Countable and uncountable nouns

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Countable and uncountable nouns

It’s the day of Oliver and Alfie’s cooking competition. Daisy is filming the chefs in action, and Mum is on her way home.

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of countable and uncountable nouns. They are in red in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, countable and uncountable nouns correctly.

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Some nouns in English are countable – we can use them in singular and plural forms. Some are uncountable – they only have one form.

We often usea/an with singular countable nouns and some with plurals. We can also use some with uncountable nouns.

What are examples of countable nouns?

Here are a few:

I've got a steak, some red chilli peppers, some potatoes…
OK, well, I've got a lemon, an apple … and some chicken breasts.
I'd like a blue pen, please.

OK, so for things you can count, like one pen, two pens … Why did you say a pen, not one pen?

We often use a/an before singular countable nouns. Before words that start with a vowel sound, we use an, and before words that start with a consonant sound, we use a.

So is one wrong? As in Would you like one drink?

It sounds as if you're saying one (not two). If you're offering someone a drink, you'd say Would you like a drink?

But someone who works in a café might say, So that's one coffee and two lemonades.

So it's usually a or an for singular countable nouns and a number or some for plurals. How many is some?

It can be any number more than one.

I got some new jeans at the weekend. (a pair of new jeans)Some teachers left at the end of the year. (we don't know how many)

Is some or a number always used with plurals?

No, have a look at these examples

I'm frightened of dogs. (dogs in general)Strawberries have a lot of vitamin C. (strawberries in general)

What about uncountable nouns?

These are nouns that don't have a plural form.

I've got some garlic and some butter.
I'm looking for information about early rock and roll.
I haven't got enough paper.
You have to get permission from the head teacher.
Do you want some cake?

So, I can use some with uncountables too?

Yes, we use some with both countables and uncountables.

How do I know whether a noun is countable or uncountable?

A dictionary will tell you. Usually dictionaries use symbols [C] for countable and [U] for uncountable.

Just a minute. You said cake was uncountable. What about I made a cake this morning?

Yes that's correct, but there's a difference in meaning.

I made a cake this morning. (a whole cake – countable)Do you want some cake? (a piece of cake – uncountable)A box of chocolates. (individual chocolates – countable)I'd like some chocolate too. (a piece or pieces of chocolate from a bar of chocolate – uncountable)

I thought coffee and lemonade were uncountable too.

Yes, they are usually.

I love coffee with hot milk. (uncountable)Can you get somecoffee? (uncountable)I'll have a coffee, please. (a cup of coffee, countable)

Worksheets and downloads

Transcript

Transcript:

Daisy: So, our first chef is Alfie. Alfie, let’s see your ingredients.Alfie: OK, well, I’ve got a lemon, an apple and some garlic, some butter and some chicken breasts ... livers! Ah, chicken livers!Daisy: Mmm ... chicken livers ... an unusual choice. Are you feeling confident?Alfie: Well, sort of. It’s a challenge!Daisy: OK ... now to Oliver. Hi, Oliver.Oliver: Hello.Daisy: What ingredients have you got, Oliver?Oliver: OK, well I’ve got a steak, some red chilli peppers, some potatoes, cream, onions and some giant prawns.Daisy: Wow – an interesting selection. How do you feel about the competition?Oliver: I’m pretty confident. I mean ... steak and prawns, or chicken livers ... I know which I prefer!Daisy: OK, well, we’ll be back later.

Mum: Hi, love.Daisy: Hi, Mum. Where are you?Mum: At the airport. What’s going on there?Daisy: Well, right now Alfie and Ollie are having their Master Chef cooking competition.Daisy: Only 53 minutes left!Mum: OK, love, see you soon.Daisy: Bye, Mum – if you’re lucky, you’ll arrive home in time to taste the dishes!Mum: Hmm ... shall I bring some fish and chips just in case?

Speaking English may be a kind of a piece of cake, but writing English is never be a piece of cake for me particularly when it comes to countable and uncoountable nouns. We don't usually care about how many things we have in our language!
(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

Hi fazashah! Welcome to LearnEnglish Teens! I'm sure you will improve your English with our site. By reading, listening, doing the exercises and leaving comments you're doing exactly the right thing to take your English to the next level. Good luck and enjoy! Joanna (LearnEnglish Teens team)

Hi kingdragon123. It's not a stupid question – but we don't say that, I'm afraid. We can describe something difficult by saying 'it's tough as nails', 'it's a hard nut to crack', 'it's a tough one' or 'it's a toughie' (although the first two of these are a bit old-fashioned).

The English for me are like four pieces of cake makes me more difficult grammar, in pronunciation is much better when I am alone but when I am in front of someone I am afraid and I go wrong, in the vocabulary I have a midpoint are like two pieces of Cake, but I hope to continue learning that is why I am here and I hope one day my English will be a piece of cake, that is to say very easy.

Hi Srilal,
Yes, exactly. If you really needed to specify that it was only one item, you could say 'a piece of baggage'. If not, we would probably just say, 'my baggage is on the table', or something like that. You can use 'some' for uncountable nouns and it doesn't necessarily mean more than one:
eg. I've got some good news for you! (= one piece of information)
Best wishes, Joanna (LearnEnglish Teens team)

Dear Sir
Please help me to make this clear. Eg. There is a pencil on the table. If I want to say 'baggage' instead of 'a pencil' how can I say it? If I say some baggage that means more than one but I want to say only one but I can't use one or a before baggage.
Please help.
Thank you.
Best regards
Srilal

Hello! Can you explain me why we use "some" in questions not "any", for example, in sentences like "Do you want some cake?", "Would you like some coffe?" or "Can I borrow some money?". Whereas by rule we might use ‘any’ for questions. Thanks in advance!

Hi clp920. It depends on the function of the question. If it is to offer something or request something, use some. This is the case in your examples. Using some encourages the person to say 'yes' in reply.

Do you want some cake? (offer)

Would you like some coffee? (offer)

Can I borrow some money? (request)

Using any in the same question is possible too, but it seems like you expect the person to reply 'no'.

Do you want any cake? (No, thanks.)

If the question is just to ask about some other thing, not to offer or request it, use any.